Get Your Heat-Adjusted Pace For Chicago This Weekend

Chicago Marathon organizers are expecting a high of 75 degrees this Sunday. Ideal marathon temps are generally in the mid-to-high 40’s fahrenheit, so it’s important to adjust your pace early to avoid a major meltdown (vicious pun intended) 😉 in the second half.

In the example pictured above, someone shooting for a 3:49 marathon would typically average 8:44 per mile. To avoid running a harder effort than you’re trained for in warmer conditions, if you click advanced features on the VDOT Calculator and add in an anticipated temp of 68 degrees (assuming mid-race conditions), the equivalent effort in those temps is about 7 seconds slower or 8:51 per mile. Over a 26.2 mile race that type of discrepancy in your pacing can make the difference between hitting the wall and losing lots of time in the last 8-10 miles and staying relatively steady throughout.

Use our running calculator (embedded below) to determine your heat-adjusted marathon pace and follow Dr. Daniels’ advice:

I’d go for the heat-adjusted pace for 15-20 miles, then if feeling OK, try picking it up a  little.  Much better to run a little slower than you would like to have done, and finish being able to say, “I think I could have gone a little faster,” than to end up saying, “I wish I hadn’t gone out so fast.”

VDOT Running Calculator Countdown: Testing Athletes

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Jack testing athletes in Tahoe in preparation for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

We’re counting down to the first release of the VDOT Running Calculator on Android and want to recognize how it evolved into our upcoming mobile technology.

It all began with testing done on athletes in the 60’s that helped produce the world renown VDOT formulas. Today, thousands of runners  across the world have utilized this research to become faster/stronger runners.